ABOUT

The Iceland Projects is an initiative seeking to share the gospel of Jesus Christ in Iceland in two main ways:

​1.  Through the planting of healthy, gospel-centered, Christ-exalting, disciple-making and multiplying churches,

2. By providing education, finances and resources to future church planters and ministers of the gospel.

For the past seven years, we have been devoting significant resources to send people to Iceland to recruit and disciple indigenous church planters to lead the efforts—and one of these planters has been Gunnar Gunnarsson, who has since planted Loftstofan Baptistakirkja in Reykjavik, Iceland. Along the way, the Lord has brought several partners in the United States and around the world to help accomplish this mission.

​We’re grateful to be part of God’s work. We’re currently looking to translate theological works to train believers and reach unbelievers, and well as starting Guðfræðiskóli Íslands (Iceland School of Theology). Through present and future partnerships, we long to see indigenous pastors and church planters raised up to permeate the country with healthy, gospel-centered, disciple-making, Christ-exalting churches for the glory of God. ​ 

​Gunnar Gunnarsson
Pastor - Loftstofan Baptistkirkja, Reykjavik, Iceland

Why Iceland?

Iceland tops the list for antidepressant consumption per capita. (If you’re not sure how that fits with being ranked the world’s third-happiest nation, you’re not alone.) While 85 percent of our inhabitants are supposedly Christians, we’re considered the world’s sixth-most atheistic nation. We were even dubbed “the most godless country in Europe” last year.

​Of course, with a such a radical worldview change comes radical cultural change. In 2014, for example, only 29.5 percent of babies were born to married parents. Iceland is now leading the world in out-of-wedlock births, as marriage becomes less and less valued.

​Though Iceland is currently getting a lot of attention, as a mission field it’s hidden in plain sight. Like much of Scandinavia and Europe in general, it’s usually overlooked by churches and mission organizations. If you don’t research deeply enough, you’ll likely get the idea that the most godless European country is supposedly 85 percent Christian, and move on to seek other places who need to be reached. (This is one reason I and others put together a brief documentary called Christian by Default—in an effort to expose Iceland’s true spiritual state.)

​- From "Europe’s Most Godless Country May Surprise You" by Gunnar Gunnarsson on The Gospel Coalition, March 4, 2017
Read the full article at ​https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/europes-most-godless-country-may-surpise-you